April 12 1864
Fortress Monro
Dear brothers And sisters i now sit
down to write a few lines to you
hopeing that they will find you
all well as they leave us at
presant. i have Just received
your kind and wellcome letter
datted the 10th and was glad to
hear from you. we have been paid
but it amounts to nothing as we
had not a months pay to draw
i Cant send any home as i want to
get them likeneses taken and i want
several other things. i will not get
out to get my likeneses before day
after tomoro then i will aft to wait
a day or two before i can get
to send them. i received a letter
from will the other day he
was well and i amswered it
i was out to see the infantry boys
[page 2]
the other day they were all
well and are getting along firstrate
the water in the fort has got pretty
high with the late rains they have
had the steam fire engine pumping
it out this last twenty for hours it
ia nearly all out now the ground lies
very low they are going to rais it
nearly a foot in the fort which
will be a large job Just think of
raising about seventy acres of land a
food and tearing ut all the pavement
i suppose us fellows will have it to
do as it is to much for beast butlers
pet nigers to do they had a kind
of a murder down here and one stabed
the other i beleive he died the other
deserves hanging we have him in the
guard house. there is some talk
of raising S[??]h artiley here
i expect there will be a move
made from here this spring
they are now building another
[page 3]
large landing here
there is no news here of
any acount i must now Close
so no more at presen
From your affectionate
brother Arthur Martin
Co G 3 penn Artilery Fort
monro va

Please write soon

[page 4]
there was a kind of a fire
here the other day but
it done no damage of any
acount it was next to Adams
express Co they are pretty well
prepaired for fire here they have
thre engines you ought to
have seen the boys runing
with the engines